We are enough

I wake up a little before the alarm goes off and I praise God for a little more sleep.  The next time I wake up the music has been playing softly for about 20 minutes.  A tad late, but not enough to worry about.  I climb out of bed and head toward the bathroom.  I stumble over one of my husband's shoes.  I enter the bathroom unscathed.  I start my morning business and wonder what to wear today.   I realize it is Friday, jeans day.  Thank goodness!  I don't have to worry about what pants are clean.

I put on my jeans and my favorite sweater.  I got the refrigerator and get my lunch together.  I grab my Kindle and sit down.  I read my passage for the day.  I pause to think about the verse that says the last shall be first and the first shall be last.  I wonder if I actually live that out.  I tweet the verse and wonder if which way people will think of themselves as they read it.  I start reading my blogs for the morning and remember that I have not written one yet.  I finish the last couple and start my breakfast.  I still wonder what to write for today.  The same old thoughts come back that I am not enough.  I live too often like the first instead of like the last.  That sounds like avoid blog topic right?  After all, don't people want to hear this heart wrenching self doubt voice.  That will get the page views and some how make me more of enough in the process.

I leave the house and walk through a spider web beside my car.  Ugh!  I am the worst home owner ever!  My house is always dirty.  The carpet isn't vacuumed and the furniture is dusty.  The flower beds are over run with weeds and there are some huge mushrooms in the back yard.  This looks like an abandoned house.  When will I ever find the time to fix this?  Not tonight.  We have a trip to Carowinds and a lock in.  Tomorrow we will be exhausted, but we will have to do something about the yard then.  My one word this year is faithful and I could not possibly be failing any more at being faithful to the home God has given me.

With these thoughts preying on my mind and spirit, I backed out of the carport and saw the most amazing thing.  My front flower bed that I had worked so hard on and had so little to show for it looked beautiful.  There were cute little ghosties and fun scarecrow decorating the black and weedless dirt.  There was a beautiful bright yellow mum sitting in a pot.  The pots by the front door were filled with bright red feathers standing tall and announcing the front door.  That's what my mother in law was doing while I was putting away my exhaustion from a week of allergies.  I thought about our part time teacher who has bailed me out more than once this month and hasn't gotten paid for it.  (Side note: The payment thing is worked out.  Praise God!)

Then I realized it isn't about me being enough.  It's about we being enough.  It's about working together as a team to walk through this life successfully.

Praise God for the team he has put around me.  Thank you for helping me be enough.

Soul Shift: Sheep to Shepherd / Message #7

September 23, 2012

Soul Shift:  Sheep to Shepherd  /  Message #7

Mark 1:15-20

Scott Howard

 

“’The time has come,’ he [Jesus] said, ‘The kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!’  As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.  When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.  Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”   --Mark 1:15-20

·         Embedded in the Call to follow Christ is the call to enlist.  To get involved in His ministry.

Jesus was on a mission to find fishermen to become fishers of men, and to find sheep to become shepherds.  He preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and delivered the oppressed from evil.

·         He commissioned them to do ministry among the people.  To meet the needs of the people.

·         Jesus looked at the crowd like they were “sheep without a shepherd.”  Mark 6:30-34

·         Jesus did not come simply to save us but to recruit us.  He wants us to be a part of this journey and gives us the authority.

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.  He appointed twelve---designating them apostles---that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.”  Mark 3:13-15

Ø  Shepherds have Internal Qualities:

·         Shepherds have compassion towards their sheep

·         Shepherds are not Critical because they know the limitations of their sheep

·         Shepherds can Empathize with those under their care, they can relate to them.

·         Shepherds know their sheep by name, they spend time with them to build relationships

·         Shepherds are self-forgetful---they think of their sheep First

·         Shepherds don’t care about who gets the glory; they care that God gets all the glory

In order to Shift from the sheep mentality to the shepherd mentality we must:

·        shift from wanting only to receive things from God to being a part of the ministry and giving the Gospel, blessings, and compassion back to others.

 

Ø  Jesus wants us to Engage in three activities:

1.       Preach the Gospel --- through our experiences.  Share our story of what God has done in our lives.

2.       Heal the sick---emotinally, spiritually, psychologically.  A word of encouragement can do this.

3.       Deliver people from their evil---help them disentangle themselves from sin.  From the things that keep them trapped, such as habits, and addictions.  But do this in a loving, caring manner.

Let’s pray for the Holy Spirit to help guide us in becoming a shepherd.  Think of ways to get involved in people’s lives in a good, loving way.  Just be there for them.  Let’s “Reach out and Shepherd someone!”

Jesus talks with a Samaritan Woman

 
Photo by:♥KatB Photography♥ on Flickr.com

Today's Thirsty Thursday is taken from John chapter 4 Verses 1 through 23.

4 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John — ² although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. ³ So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.  ⁴ Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.  ⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  ¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”  ¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  ¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.  Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”  ¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”  ²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”  ²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  ²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

 

Jesus had just come off the road.  He was tired, hungry , hot and thirsty.  It was noon, the hottest part of the day.  Hot, hungry and thirsty, and what does he do?  He ask for a drink of water.  In doing so He broke down racist and sexist barriers.  Usually not something you want to try on an empty stomach.  The racism and the sexism is why she replied, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”  She was more than a little annoyed by the request.  It was kind of like a black man asking a white woman for a drink in the deep south in the 1940’s or 50’s.  The Jews and Samaritans thought they were better than the other.  Jesus replies by telling her of the living water.  She must have thought he was crazy.  She was confused, she thought he was talking about water that you drink.  He was talking about the peace that comes with salvation through Christ.  Jesus knew that she did not believe Him.  So He told her to go and get her husband, knowing that she did not have a husband and that she was promiscuous.  Which is probably why she was at the well at noon.  She was trying to avoid the wives of the men she was sleeping with.  When she told Him that she had no husband Jesus replied, “You’re right.  You don’t have A husband, you have five.”  He told her something that a mere man could not have known.  She said',”Ok, ok, I know you are a prophet, but you Jews got the worship thing all wrong.  Jesus told her that a time is coming when it won’t matter where you worship, but how you worship.  And race and sex won’t matter.  God wants true worshippers who worship in the Spirit and in truth.  Wow!  Makes you look at how you worship doesn’t it?  When we go to church, are we worshipping so that everyone there will so us?  Or, are we worshipping God because He is worthy of our praise?   Back to the passage.  The woman tries to brush him off.  She says, “Well, when Christ gets here He will explain it all.”  Then Jesus makes the boldest statement ever made.   He declared, “I AM HE!”  He told her that He is The Christ. 

Do you believe Him when He says, ”I am He.”  Your very soul depends on it.  Do you believe that He died for your sins and rose again from the dead?  Do you long for the living water?
If this is your first time hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and you want to follow Him, you too can know his joy. The peace that passes all understanding. All you have to do is ask Christ into your heart and ask him to forgive your sins. He stands at the door, ready to come in. If you would like to know Jesus and God the father, please pray the following prayer or one like it. Or, you can contact me at jeremylail@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to pray with/for you.
Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus for give me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Soul Shift: Ask to Listen / Message #6

September 16, 2012

Soul Shift:  Ask to Listen / Message #6

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Scott Howard

·         We live in a noisy world--- there is music, TV, iPods, car noise, crowd noise---all this we need to filter through or tune out in order to be able to hear God speaking.

·         What and who you listen to will influence what you do.

Different Ways God Speaks:

·         Nature

·         People

·         Wisdom

·         Conscience

·         Scripture

·         Holy Spirit (urging)

1 Samuel 3:1-10:

“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli.  In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.  One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.  The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.  Then the Lord called Samuel.  Samuel answered, “Here I am.”  And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”  But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”  So he went and lay down.  Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”  “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  The lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”  Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.  So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  The Lord came and stood there calling as the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.””

·         It’s not getting God to speak, it’s being in a position to listen.  God has no trouble communicating---but we have difficulty hearing and listening. 

·         God was speaking, Samuel didn’t realize it.

·         God is persistent (Thank God!)  He will keep speaking for as long as it takes.

The shift is instead of asking others for advice or what to do (which isn’t always bad) we should wait to hear from God.  If you trust Him and give Him full control, you will be in better position to hear.

“This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, YOUR WILL BE DONE on earth as it is in heaven.”  --Matthew 6:9-10

·         People are sometimes right, God is ALWAYS right!

“Speak, for your servant is listening.”

John Testifies Again About Jesus

Photo by: Israel Defense Forces on Flickr.com

John Testifies Again About Jesus

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”
³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. 
                                                                                             John 3:22-36
 
In this passage, John The Baptist is called upon to settle a dispute, a debate over ceremonial washing.  They were probably arguing about which is right, sprinkling or dunking.  John disciples were jealous because all the people were going to Jesus instead of John.  John compares it to a wedding.  Placing himself as the best man and Jesus as the Bridegroom.  Sure the best man gives the toast and stands up at the front of the church in his tux, but the reason he is there is to get everything ready for the bridegroom.  The best man is more than happy to play second fiddle to the bridegroom.  After all, the wedding day is all about the happy couple.
 
In verses 31-36 John tell his disciples that Christ greater than he is.  He says, ‘Hey, this guy is from heaven,  and I am just a man.’  John could tell the people what he had learned about heaven, Jesus told what He remembers about heaven.  Just like a pastor can tell you about heaven from the books he has read and the classes he took, but Christ can tell about it because He is from there.  I can tell you about Hickory, NC because that is where I was born and raised.  Well, heaven is where Jesus was born and raised.  His Dad runs the place!  Jesus was tell everybody about heaven and His Father, but nobody was believing Him.  John tells us that if when accept what Christ says as the truth we will have eternal life, but if we don’t God’s wrath will remain on us. 
 
If this is your first time hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and you want to follow Him, you too can know his joy. The peace that passes all understanding. All you have to do is ask Christ into your heart and ask him to forgive your sins. He stands at the door, ready to come in. If you would like to know Jesus and God the father, please pray the following prayer or one like it. Or, you can contact me at jeremylail@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to pray with/for you.
Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus for give me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Announcements 9-16

Have you ever imagined a better you?  God has a dream for you!  It's you restored to his original plan.  Join us each Sunday Morning in Pastor Scott's Sunday School Class as we unpack what SoulShifts are with practical, Biblical suggestions for life.  NEXT WEEK: SHIFT #4 CONSUMER to STEWARD

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting Beginning Sept. 28th, we as a church will begin 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting for our nation and the up-coming election.

Concert of Prayer NEXT Sunday, September 23rd @ 6:00pm at First Wesleyan in Lincolnton.  We will be joining four other churches for this special prayer service for our up-coming Tri-County Area Revival which is October 14-17.

Car Show - A Car Show will be here at SRWC Saturday, October 6th.  This is a fundraiser for our youth to raise funds for the International Youth Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in December.

Coupon Books - The Children's Ministry of SRWC are selling Coupon Books which provides discounts at local businesses and restaurants.  The books are $20.  If you are interested please see Phyllis Howard.  All monies raised will go toward our Children's Ministry.

Soul Shift: Consumer to Steward / Message #5

September 9, 2012

Soul Shift: Consumer to Steward / Message #5

Luke 12:15-21

Scott Howard

How is culture affecting us?

·         Do I see other people’s stuff and become critical or bored with my own?

·         Do I shop for recreation?

·         Do I buy compulsively (because I feel like it) without thinking first of my budget or my need?

·         Is my circle of “need” getting bigger (such as cell phones, iPods, etc)?

·         Do I complain a lot about how much I make (my salary)?

·         Do I feel self-conscious when I am around rich people?

·         Do I give less than 10 % of my income to the ministry of the church?

·         Does it annoy me when the preacher talks about money?

In order to shift our souls, mindsets, attitudes from a Consumer to a Steward we must realize that:

Everything we have comes from God!

“You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me, but remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”  ----Deuteronomy 8:17-18

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.”  ---Psalm 24:1

Sermon Scripture:

“Then he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’  And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.’”    ---Luke 12:15-21

·         I am a Manager of everything that God has given to me.  And we will all be held accountable for how we manage it all, and how we care for the things God has given to us.

·         When I realize that everything that I have is God’s, it is easier for me to give back to God what really belongs to Him anyway.  It won’t be ours forever, we can’t take it with us, so it’s as if we are just borrowing it for now.

·         God wants your Heart---everything else will fall into place if we are “rich toward God.”

Guidelines:

·         If your standard of living isn’t being somehow changed by the amount of money that you give, then you may not be giving enough.

·         The Cross --- Jesus gave ALL of Himself, sacrifice

·         We have to learn to Share with others

The rich man in the parable was selfish and arrogant.  To become more Steward-minded we must realize all that we have has been given to us by God.  We are to share what we do have with others, and give back to the church to further God’s Kingdom while we are here on earth.  And when it comes to possessions that we have in our households; just like when a friend gives you a gift, or lends you something, you want to take care of it because it was not yours to begin with.

Born Again

Photo by:henna lion on Flickr

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven —the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.    John 3:1-21
To me this passage sums up what Jesus’ ministry was all about.  Nicodemus was a member on the ruling class, a Pharisee.  These are the same people who wanted Jesus put to death.  It’s kind of like if J. Edgar Hoover had a secret meeting with Al Capone.  If the rest of the Pharisees had found out about it they would have at the very least had him thrown in prison.
Why did Nicodemus meet with Jesus?  What did he want to talk with him about?  He wanted to find out about the Kingdom of God.  Notice that Jesus didn’t have to wait for Nicodemus to ask a question.  He knows the hearts of men.  He knew what the real question was before it was even asked.  Jesus answered him by saying that NO ONE can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again.  Nicodemus was confused.  Being reborn was not a new concept to Nicodemus.  Gentiles who converted to Judaism had to go through a process of rebirth.  What confused Nicodemus was that Christ had said, “no one,” meaning both Jew and Gentile had to be reborn.  Christ basically replied, “Man gives birth to man, but spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should know this!  The effect of the spirit on a man is like the wind.  You can hear it, but you can’t see it.  You can feel it, but you don’t know where it came from.”  Nic was still confused.  Jesus said, “Look man, you’re a teacher of the law and you don’t know this?! John the Baptist and I tell you what we know, everything we have seen and you don’t believe us.  If you can’t believe those things, how are you ever gonna believe me about heaven?  Look, Moses raised up that snake in the desert to save the people of Israel. Right?  Well, the Son of Man is gonna have to be lifted up too so that anybody who believes will have life everlasting.”
Next we come to the most famous verse in all the bible, John 3:16.  16-18 is kind of like Christ mission statement.  It pretty cut and dry.  It is one of the few times in the gospel that Jesus talks plainly.  He is very matter of fact about why He has come into the world.  He came to save us.
Verses 19-21 are an indictment of mankind.  We are evil.  We hate the light because it will expose the evil that we do. But if we live by the truth, everything we have done will be brought into the light.
Have you been reborn?  Would you like to be?  
If this is your first time hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and you want to follow Him, you too can know his joy. The peace that passes all understanding. All you have to do is ask Christ into your heart and ask him to forgive your sins. He stands at the door, ready to come in. If you would like to know Jesus and God the father, please pray the following prayer or one like it. Or, you can contact me at jeremylail@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to pray with/for you.
Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus for give me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Remnant Ramblings - Sept.

The book of Judges is a sobering account detailing the power of sin and its consequences. Once the Israelites settled in Canaan, the land promised to them, they grew complacent and lost their spiritual motivation. Tribe after tribe failed to drive out the Canaanites from their land, as God had commanded the Israelite people. Perhaps 40 years wandering through the desert and many years spent fighting made them weary and tired. Perhaps they feared the enemy was too strong. In any event, the Israelites failed to follow through with driving out the Canaanites. And it turns out that the temptation to sin turned out to be a much more powerful opponent than the iron chariots of the Canaanites.

Following the death of Joshua, one generation died and the next did not follow God. Each generation failed to teach the next generation the ways of God, and to love and follow Him. Judges 2:10-3:7 is a preview of the nasty cycle of sin, judgment and repentance that Israel experienced time and time again. The new generation abandoned the faith of their parents and began to worship the gods of their neighbors. These are similar temptations our children face on the battlefields of their lives each and every day. Peers have a powerful pull on teens as it relates to the temptation to sin and also how teens view themselves and the world around them. Satan uses this against them and packages idols in all sizes, shapes, and colors in efforts to take their (and all of our) eyes off of God.

It is my desire to raise up and disciple a generation of spiritual power-players and leaders who can stand firm in the Lord in the face of peer pressure and temptation, and who can influence others for the Kingdom to do the same. Parents, would you speak truth, encouragement, life and purpose into your kids as they begin a new school year? Church family, would you join me in prayer for our teens and children as they embark on a new school year? Many times how they start the year can set the tone for the rest of the year. This generation is not only the future of the church, they are a big part of the church with a special purpose RIGHT NOW.

Much love in Christ,

Pastor Drew

Broken and Poured Out

"While he [Jesus] was in Bethany... A woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head." - Mark 14:3

Did you ever wonder why this woman did not just open the lid and dab a little perfume on Jesus? After all, this perfume was very expensive. the ingredient, spikenard, was an ointment imported from India. One jar of it would have cost the equivalent of a common worker's annual income. This was more than a token gesture; this was a sacrificial offering. At this point, we should give a name to this remarkable woman. Her act of anointing Jesus is found in Matthew, Mark, and John. Only John tells us that she was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. She appears four times in the gospels, three times she is found at the feet of Jesus. Perhaps Mary knew what real worship was all about, and she demonstrated that for us.

Mary did not use just a portion of the perfume to anoint Jesus. She did not try to keep any of it for herself; instead, she broke the box, and poured out all the perfume, eliminating any possibility of its being saved for another occasion. So many worship the Lord with all kinds of reservations and restrictions. They make a great demonstration of their token gifts, but they keep the greater part of their lives for themselves. They may give to God an hour or two each week, but the rest belongs to them. They may give to God a small percentage of their income, but they retain the greater part for self-interest. Such people know nothing of true worship and do not understand what total commitment means.

This broken jar and poured out perfume is a beautiful word picture of the disciple who is willing to give all to the Lordship of Christ. This is significant because a broken vessel can no longer retain its contents. It's powerless to withhold; therefore, it freely spills out all that is within. This is the purpose of the breaking. It is not so God can take pleasure in our pain. The pain is part of the process when we are broken, but it is not the purpose. The goal is to allow the sweet aroma of a spirit-filled life to fill the air, and the nostrils of God. before you complain that the price is too great, remember that Jesus held nothing back. He gave Himself for our sins with no reservations, no restrictions. On a cruel cross, He was broken and spilled out and used up for us.

Ephesians 5:2 - "...Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

The unbelieving world needs to smell the fragrance of a broken vessel to the Lord instead of the faint whiff of partial commitment. God always works best out of broken vessels. Allow Christ to release your full fragrance and it will be a sweet smell in the nostrils of God.

(- portions of this article was written by Gene Strother)

Soul Shift: Seen to Unseen / Message #4

September 2, 2012

Soul Shift: Seen to Unseen / Message #4

Romans 4:16-25

Scott Howard

How can we be people of Faith? 

How can we shift from the Seen to the Unseen?

·         Believe!

“Therefore the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring---not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.  He is the father of us all.  As it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’  He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed---the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.  Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”  Romans 4:16-18

Abraham’s faith was not in the promises, but in God who made the promises.  Abraham’s belief was accompanied by great action.  He had as much belief in what is not physically seen as in the things that are seen.

·         Trust!

“Without weakening in his faith, he [Abraham] faced the fact that his body was as good as dead---since he was about a hundred years old---and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”  Romans 4:19-21

Trust says God is able, and I am NOT able.  Sometimes we try to see what we can do to “help” God fulfill his promises, but that can make things worse, and we can only do so much.  You may have done all you know to do, but there’s still “the Unseen;” there’s still what God can do.  Trust says, “I can’t, but God can!”

·         Confide!

“This is why ‘it was credited to him [Abraham] as righteousness.’  The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness---for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”  Romans 4:22-25

Be confident in the Unseen, in what God can/will do.  Since God makes promises to us, his promises will come true.  That means if it’s going to happen, but we cannot see how, and anything we do won’t “help” it along, then it MUST be that God has an unseen plan!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” 

--Hebrews 11:1

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” 

--Proverbs 3:5

From the Pastor's Heart: September

By: Pastor Scott

For the last several weeks, we have been going through a study entitled, "SOUL SHIFT".  A "Soul Shift" is a radical rewiring of our instincts.  It is a change ("shift") that occurs at the deepest, most fundamental level of our being - our souls.  A "Soul Shift" is not the same as getting saved or deciding to follow Jesus.  A "Soul Shift" is a change in the deepest part of our being, usually after we are saved and before we die, that makes us more like Christ and less like our old selves.  We may be saved, have repented, and decide to follow Jesus.  All of that is good, and if we died today, we would still go to Heaven.

BUT HEAVEN HAS NOT YET COME INTO US.

Our souls may be saved, but they are not yet converted.  They have not "shifted."

Why is this so important?  Because the soul is where God wants to meet you.  Your soul is where you experience eternal life both now and after these bodies of ours have gone back to dust.  It is the state of your soul that will determine your eternity.

"Imagine if every morning when you woke up, your first instinct was to do what is right.  And you loved it.  Imagine being just as concerned about other people - about their marriage, kids, or job - as you were once concerned about yourself.  Imagine knowing the will of God so well that you don't have to ask all the time.  Imagine living on a fraction of your income and still feeling that it is plenty, and then using the rest for something bigger than you.  Imagine praying twenty times as much as you do now and doing it because you like to, not because you had to, just as you like hanging out with your best friend.  And what if your heart was broken by things that break the heart of God?  Imagine what all this might be like, with your soul shifted toward God in every way."  (Soul Shift, pgs. 24-25)

It is my prayer that god would use this study to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ.  That we would talk like Jesus; that we would walk like Jesus; that we would act like Jesus; think like Jesus;  and behave like Jesus in everything we do.

Believing in you,
Pastor Scott

Announcments 9-2

Upcoming Events


Walk for Life - Please come and join us as we celebrate God's magnificent gift of life! The Walk for Life is an excellent opportunity for many to gather and fellowship as a testimony to others that life is valued and God is faithful!  SATURDAY, September 15, 2012 @ 1st Baptist Church, Hickory Walk begins at 10:00 AM/ Registration and Family Fun @ 9:30 AM.  Sponsor and Pledge forms are on the table outside the Nursery.


Men's Prayer Breakfast - Sunday, September 9th @ 8:30 AM.  All men of the church are invited to join us for a great time of fellowship, food, and much needed prayer.


Special Missionary Speaker - Jeff and Geyla Whitney, missionaries to Russia will be with us Sunday Evening, September 9th @ 6:00pm.  Make your plans now to come and hear about how God is moving in Russia.

South Mountain Camp Meeting - September 7-9 with Evangelist Eddie Beaver.  Service times are: Friday 7:00 pm.  Saturday 6:00 pm.  Sunday - 5:00 pm.  Please note we will NOT be moving our Sunday Evening service to the camp meeting as we have in the past.



LBA Meeting - The Local Board of Administration will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 25th @ 7:00pm.


Concert of Prayer - There will be a Concert of Prayer for our Tri-County Area Revival on Sunday Evening @ 6:00PM at the 1st Wesleyan Church in Lincolnton.  We will be joining four other churches to spend time in prayer for our revival in October.  The church van will be available for transportation if you need it.  Join us for this special service.  (After the service there will be a time of refreshments and fellowship.)

Youth Group Schedule


Car Wash - Saturday, September 8th.  A fundraiser to benefit Jessica Shook's Gold Star Award Project.


Walk for Life - The youth will be walking in the Pregnancy Care Center's "Walk for Life" on Saturday, September 15th @ the 1st Baptist Church at 9:30 AM.  Pick up your sponsor sheets on the table outside the Nursery


Scarowinds - Friday, September 28th.  The youth will be leaving the church at 6:00PM to go to Carowinds.  Following the night at Carowinds, they will be having a Lock-In at the church.


Car Show - Saturday, October 6th.  Registration will begin at 10:00 AM and costs $10.  This is a Youth Fundraiser for the "Follow" - International Wesleyan Youth convention in Louisville, KY on December 28-31.  Flyers and more info are out in the foyer.


Golf Tournament - Saturday, October 27th @ The Glenn Oaks Golf Course in Maiden.  Four man, Captain's Choice format with a cost of $50 per golfer.  Registration and lunch begins at 12:00PM with a Shot-Gun start at 1:30 PM.  This is a Youth Fundraiser for the "Follow" - International Wesleyan Youth convention in Louisville, KY on December 28-31.  Flyers and more info are out in the foyer.


Help needed - Please spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested in entering either of these events!  Also if you know of a buisness that may be willing to donate a door prize to either event or sponsor a hole in our tourney, please let Pastor Drew know.

Opportunities to let our light shine


Salvation Army Soup Kitchen - Team 2 will be serving on Sunday, September 23 @ 4:00pm.  We are needing another team to go help serve food at the soup kitchen.  If you are willing to serve, please see Pastor Charles.


Open Arms Food Pantry - The food pantry provides a vital ministry to our community.  But in order for it to be able to supply the needs of others, the Open Arms Food Pantry needs you.  We need food and monetary donation to help feed the needy in our community.  Please let Pastor Charles know if you can help in this area of outreach.


Operation Warmth - This is a coat drive for children in our area schools.  We will be collecting the coats during the months of September and October.  Look in your closets, your boxes, your plastic tubs - if you can't find one there, try the local thrift stores.  If you have any questions or would like to help with this outreach, please see Pastor Charles.